Grants and Contracts Details
Description
PROJECT SUMMARY
Pro'fJosed Research
Two experiments on He ionization are proposed.
The first, motivated by major disagreements between theory and experiment reported
in the literature, will measure out-of-plane (e,2e) angular distributions, for a full 360°, using
a special geometry that allows out-of-plane conditions to be combined with the binary peak
in a single measurement. Data will be taken in the region of He autoionizing states, both
on and off resonance. The results are expected to add new insight into a postulated double
scattering mechanism that has been invoked to explain the present disagreement between
theory and experiment. This experiment will use an existing (e,2e) apparatus modified to
allow the electron gun to move on the surface of a (mathematical) cone. We will collaborate
on this experiment with Don Madison's theory group at the University of Missouri, Rolla.
The second experiment will investigate helium autoionization in the presence of a laser
field. Ejected electron spectra will be measured which will contain "sidebands" separated
from the normal autoionization peaks by energies equal to integral numbers of the photon
energy. The advantage of this type of experiment is that it isolates the photon-target
interaction from the photon-projectile interaction; there is at present poor agreement between
experiments that involve both types of interaction and theories that emphasize the
photon-projectile interaction. In order to carry out these experiments one of the PI's apparatus
will be combined with one of the Co-PI's Nd:YAG lasers. The ejected electron
count rate will be increased by modifications to the electron optics and the use of a pulsed
helium source.
Broader im'fJacts resultinq from the Pro'fJosed Research
The research will involve both undergraduate and graduate students at the University
of Kentucky. The former will work on a project such as data analysis. The project
will provide dissertation material for at least two graduate students. Graduates acquire
skills in lasers, electronics, vacuum systems, and computer programming, networking, and
interfacing with experiments. They present their work at national and international conferences.
Al
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 7/1/06 → 6/30/10 |
Funding
- National Science Foundation: $373,796.00
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